Letter Land
Why? letters, sight words, numerals, shapes, etc.
What? ask parents to donate Candy Land Games, markers
How? Write letters on the Candy Land cards. To move their ginger bread man children choose a card. They must identify the letter before moving their piece to the next color.
Board Games
Let children create their own board games to practice math facts, phonics, or review a unit of study. They’ll love making up their own rules! You’ll find blank board game patterns at these sites:
http://donnayoung.org/homeschooling/games/game-boards.htm
http://boardgames.lovetoknow.com/Blank_Board_Games_to_Print
Alphabet Categories
Sounds, parts of speech, categories, rapid automatic naming, and multiple skills are reinforced with this game. When I introduced alphabet categories we played it as a large group game. Once the kids “caught on” we divided the class into two teams and played. Later, they enjoyed playing the game in small groups or with a partner.
Why? initial sounds, categories, rapid naming
What? poster board
How? You will need 2 sheets of poster board of different colors. Cut the poster board into 4” squares. (You will need 23 squares of each color.) On one color print alphabet letters. (Print “u & v” on the same card and “x, y, z” on another card.) On the other color print one of the categories below:
something in the yard an animal
fruit or vegetable movie star
something in the kitchen body part
river, lake, or ocean town or city
country or state a machine
type of transportation a food
something you wear an action
something in the zoo a plant
a toy a book
a song a noun
a famous person a verb
something in the school a game
a TV show a feeling
a color an occupation
restaurant or store something that flies
Shuffle up each set of cards. Draw a card from the “letter pile” and a card from the “category pile.” Encourage the children to make the sound of the letter. Can they think of a word in the category that begins with that sound?
*When introducing this game, simply play it as a shared group Activity and do not keep score. As children become more proficient, divide the class into teams and give points to the first team to come up with a word that fits the category. Children may also enjoy playing this game in small groups.
*Adapt the categories to the age and ability of your students. For example, you could use adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, prepositions, mammals, etc. for older students.
